CAPS United are close to making their first signing in preparation for next season after agreeing terms with Warriors and Yadah midfielder Leeroy Mavunga.

BY HENRY MHARA

The Green Machine lost the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in the most painful way in the just ended season, losing the title on the last day of the campaign.

They were beaten in by the Zvishavane-based FC Platinum in the title decider at the National Sports Stadium.

The Harare giants, it seems are, however, determined to correct the wrongs from the past season and reclaim the glory they last tasted in 2016, by reinforcing their squad.

United finance manager Morton Dodzo confirmed that the team was close to making Mavunga their first major signing and is likely to be confirmed when the player transfer window opens on Wednesday.

“Our institution has interest in securing the boy. But he is still contracted to Yadah so what we did was to seek permission from his club to talk to him which was granted,” Dodzo said.
“We met with him and his representatives and we discussed personal terms. He agreed in principle. We have given him a draft of the contract for further perusal. What is now left is for the clubs to engage and agree on the transfer,” he added.

Reports yesterday suggested that the 19-year-old star had already penned a two-year contract with the Darlington Dodo-coached side.

“We have seen reports on social media to that effect, but the truth is that the deal hasn’t been concluded. We are hoping that the reports will not jeopardise the negotiations. The good thing is that the player himself is willing to join our club. We hope we would have completed the deal before Friday. We would have wanted to complete the negotiations as soon as possible, but we have some officials who are still on holiday and that has delayed the process,” Dodzo said.

Dodzo also refuted reports suggesting that the club will release a number of senior players including Soccer Star of the Year Joel “Josta” Ngodzo.

Other players who are reportedly on their way out are Soccer Star of the Year finalist Phineas Bhamusi, Valentine Musarurwa and goalkeeper Prosper Chigumba.

“How can we release a player like Josta, the Soccer Star of the Year? Does that make any sense, honestly? Those players are some of our best players and the last thing we would want is to see them leaving. No one has indicated that they want to leave.

“There are a lot of things that we consider first before we can release a player. The most important one is the financial implications of doing it.”
But it is the capture of Mavunga that would excite a lot of Caps United fans.

The winger is one of the most talented players in the local league, with his dazzling skills and pace, making him a nightmare for many defenders.

At 19-years, he has over 10 caps with the senior national team, and has two Cosafa gold medals to show for it.

He has also been invited for trials at Portuguese top flight clubs before, including at giants Benfica. Mavunga has, however, failed to find suitors on all occasions.

His imminent joining of Caps United is expected to add depth to the squad which looked heavily depleted late in the campaign last year due to injuries to key personnel.
At one point, Dodo had only 15 players in his matchday squad, including three goalkeepers.

GWERU-based male model Devson Takudzwa Luzaine was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 King after he shrugged off stiff competition from 14 other models at a pageant held at Dream Night Life in Harare on Saturday.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

The pageant which is the brainchild of Zim Gossip Models agency founder Mercy “Catwalk” Mushaninga was previously only hosted online for about five years before she decided to make it bigger and better in her endeavours to promote local pageantry.

Devson Takudzwa Luzaine

Bernard “BenChest” Ndlovu of Bulawayo was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 Brand Ambassador, while Tatenda Njunike of Harare was crowned Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 People’s Choice with Ishmael Muragandi being capped Mister Zimbabwe 2019-2020 Prince.

In an interview with NewsDay Life&Style yesterday, Mushaninga said, through the pageant, she wants to promote and let the world know that Zimbabwe also has talented male models.

“It was not easy to host an event in this economy, but we had to host the show for the love and passion of promoting pageantry in Zimbabwe and with the help of Dreams Night Life. We pulled through. This is our first step, and we will keep pushing to make the modelling industry active despite the challenges,” she said.

“Modelling is a profession just like any other profession, but the acceptance in Zimbabwe is of a different narrative. If you look at Mr Zimbabwe, the pageant is still shunned by a lot of sponsors because of the alleged controversy around male models, but we hope one day we will get people who understand the industry and be partners for a better cause.”
In an earlier interview, Mushaninga described male models as trendsetters in the industry.

She said excellent character, good physique, great communication skills and deportment were critical traits for male models and dismissed claims that the majority of male models were gay.

Zimbabwe has had a long list of successful models including Jonathan Denga, Jefferson Muserera, Lungani Mkwebu and Tichaona “Tich” Maruziva.

South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki was recently in Zimbabwe to explore possibilities of institutionalising inter-party dialogue in order to improve political cooperation for reasons still to be fully unpacked.

GUEST COLUMNIST PHILLAN ZAMCHIYA

Mbeki’s conclusion is that currently there is a window of opportunity for talks but no space for a government of national unity similar to the one created in 2009.

I hope when Mbeki completes his power analysis he will find the wisdom to include in his dialogue framework civil society and representatives of the commissioned commanders of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) who wield immense power behind the scenes.

During the exploratory phase, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A) was clear that it wants inter-party democratic dialogue to deal with transitional justice and national healing, political and economic reforms, international re-engagement and legitimacy deficit.

The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF), meanwhile, wants multi-party dialogue to deal with sanctions, international re-engagement, the economic crisis and the legitimacy question.

It sounds like there is congruence across some issues, but the devil is in the detail and this is a subject for another article.

For now, I posit that despite the call for dialogue, democratic compromise will be difficult for many reasons.

These include Zanu PF leaders’ sense of entitlement to rule due to their participation in the liberation war that led to Zimbabwe’s independence from British colonial rule in 1980.
However, equally important, but understated is that Zimbabwe is in a perpetual election mode. `

My reading is that the electoral mind-set dominates the governing mind-set in day-to-day politics. Consequently, the political leaders are not likely to see the need for meaningful compromise, but calculations for 2023 general elections.

Candidates in an election mode are more effective in rallying supporters by articulating hardline positions, casting opponents as “enemies” and positioning themselves as the unwavering bastions of the national soul. However, campaigning is one thing and governing is another.

The latter requires compromise. `To avoid compromise, political leaders will seek to advance arguments based on “principle” and seed perpetual mistrust of each other.

Yet most of what politicians call principles are interests. For example, the Zanu PF ruling elite’s resolve to defend ill-gotten properties under the guise of defending national sovereignty is not principle, but interest.

Mbeki will realise when the dialogue reaches the implementation stage that in Zimbabwe electoral campaigning does not end on the voting day. Rather it starts on the very same day. The polarised positions will remain rigid especially towards 2023 as another general election looms.

The MDC Alliance will have to listen to the “boots on the ground” who want them to remain radical and rigid. These are the party foot soldiers who do the campaigning.

On the other side, Mnangagwa will need to show a face of courage (even a fake one) to appease the commissioned commanders of the ZNA who sustain his party. Most party hardliners across the MDC Alliance and Zanu PF will view leaders who compromise with mistrust in such a polarised polity.

Not to compromise is seen as improving one’s political profile among die-hard members of the party.

Contrary to this is that most of the general supporters who bear the day-to-day suffering of the Zanu PF misrule see democratic compromise as a source of strength not as a sign of surrendering and signifying end-of-life. The major problem is that without democratic compromise what wins is the status quo. Yet compromise must not be for the sake of compromise.
If it improves the status quo, it is an essential part of the democratic process.

Let me not detour from postulating that within the framework of a pending general election, no effective dialogue is likely to take place in substance, but in optics.

Perhaps it is time to rethink innovative political solutions that are tailor-made to Zimbabwe’s specific problem.

CLOSER to home, South African top model Zozibini Tunzi is still basking in the glory of being crowned Miss Universe 2019, proving to many — Zimbabweans included — that modelling as a profession has the magic to turn around people’s fortunes, particularly the girl child.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

Unlike in Zimbabwe, modelling has the potential to provide employment and turn around the economic fortunes of many local girls because it is considered a lucrative profession with rich pickings.

2019 has not been a good year for local pageantry as two national pageants, Miss World Zimbabwe and Miss Tourism Zimbabwe failed to take place. NewsDay Life&Style takes a glimpse of some of the major highlights on and off the ramp.

Miss World Zim licence holder Marry Chiwenga arrested

Marry Chiwenga

Former models and licence holder of the country’s flagship pageant Miss World Zimbabwe, Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is in remand prison after she was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on allegations of fraud after allegedly misrepresenting to court officials that her husband had consented to a marriage ceremony when, in fact, he had not because he was bedridden at the time. She is also facing allegations of attempting to kill her husband while he was on life support at a South African hospital. She is also being charged for contravening the Exchange Control Act by externalising more than US$1 million to South Africa and China between October 2018 and May 2019.

Zim pulls out of Miss World 2019

Zimbabwe failed to send a representative at this year’s Miss World pageant held at the ExCeL Arena in London after the pageant organisers Miss Zimbabwe Trust cancelled the local event due to the country’s economic challenges. According to the pageant spokesperson Tendai Chirawu, hosting of the glamorous pageant was a difficult undertaking because it comes with a huge budget, adding that Miss World Zimbabwe pageant was not a business, but a charity initiative.

The reigning Miss World Zimbabwe queen, Belinda Potts had her tenure extended to next year.

Miss Tourism Zim finalists in accident

This year’s edition of the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe grand finale that was scheduled for the first week of December at Montclair Hotel in Nyanga failed to take place and was postponed indefinitely after the finalists were involved in an accident at the 13km peg along the Vumba-Mutare highway on their way to Eden Lodge. In confirming the accident, Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle which then overturned once and landed on its left side. Ten of the 19 finalists, who were scheduled to battle for honours at the pageant were injured and some of them were initially admitted at Murambi Gardens (Hospital) in Mutare.

Luzaine crowned Mister Zim

After almost five years hosting Mister Zimbabwe pageant online, Zim Gossip Models agency founder Mercy “Catwalk” Mushaninga this year decided to host the pageant live at Dreams Night Club in Harare on Saturday.

Gweru-based model Devson Takudzwa Luzaine was crowned Mister Zimbabwe King after shrugging off stiff competition from 14 other models. Bernard “BenChest” Ndlovu of Bulawayo was crowned Mister Zimbabwe Brand Ambassador, while Tatenda Njunike of Harare was crowned Mister Zimbabwe People’s Choice, with Ishmael Muragandi being capped Mister Zimbabwe Prince.

Zimbabwe has had a long list of successful models including Jonathan Denga, Jefferson Muserera, Lungani Mkwebu and Tichaona “Tich” Maruziva.

Teen model flies national flag high

Miss Teen Zimbabwe Wadzanai Muzvongi (19) raised the country’s flag high in July when she was adjudged the first princess after giving a good account of herself on the ramp during this year’s edition of the Miss Teen Continentals pageant finals held in Las Vegas, the United States. Muzvongi, who is a spoken word artist, was beaten to the crown by South African teenage beauty Chace Collett, who was crowned the new Miss Teen Continentals.

Model sues minister, ZRP boss, PG

Harare-based model, Tafadzwa Mushunje, who was awarded a US$45 000 compensation by the court following her arrest and prosecution over charges of assault and deliberately infecting her lover’s child with HIV, is suing three government officials in their official capacities, for contempt of court.

Following the granting of an order in her favour by High Court judge Justice Edith Mushore in August last year, Mushunje has been making frantic efforts to compel Home Affairs minister, the Police Commissioner-General and Prosecutor-General (PG) to pay her, but without success. Despite having been censured by the court, the law enforcement agents and the PG have failed to comply with the court order, prompting the model to approach the court again for recourse.

Super model basks in parenthood

Samantha Tshuma

Former Miss Tourism Zimbabwe, Samantha Tshuma, affectionately known as Sammy, in February boasted that she was enjoying motherhood and seeing her daughters grow. The former supermodel gave birth to a daughter, Alaina Matipoa Lungile, her second child, after Stephanie April Mhlanga, who was born in South Africa five years ago. The beauty queen rose to fame when she was crowned Miss Tourism Zimbabwe in 2010.

She is running a modelling agency, Open Eye Studio, located at Bradfield shops in Bulawayo. The studio trains and manages models and also offers image consultancy, events management and photography.

Zim model crowned Pan-African Queen

Pauline Marere

Zimbabwean model Pauline Marere last month added another feather to her crown after she was capped Miss Pan-African Queen at the continental pageant’s 2019 grand finale held in Lagos, Nigeria. Her winning package included US$3 000 prize money, a vehicle, a film acting deal and a trip to Dubai.

Despite having lost the Miss Heritage Global title in Ghana in August this year, Marere remained optimistic that she would bring the Miss Pan-African title home, and her dream has come true.

Manyange crowned Miss Lumiere International World 2019 Goodwill

Tapuwanashe Allin Manyange

Local beauty model, Tapuwanashe Allin Manyange, was this month crowned Miss Lumiere International World 2019 Goodwill at Forest City in Malaysia. Manyange, who is originally from Hwange, has a colourful modelling resume that includes Ms Africa Continental 2019 (second runner-up), Ms Africa Zimbabwe 2019, Face of Africa 2019 (second runner-up), Miss Ambassador for Peace Africa (Third runner-up), Best Petite Model 2018 at the Zimbabwe Models Awards, Miss Legacy Zimbabwe 2017, Miss Summer Victoria Falls 2017 and Miss Summer Midlands 2014. Having always been passionate about helping society’s less privileged people, Manyange has also been involved in several charity events.

The year 2019 will come to an end tomorrow, opening the curtains for 2020. In normal countries, the previous year tends to set the foundation for the new year, but not in our case. We live in a highly unpredictable environment where belief is the most common basis for forming opinions and planning the future.

Develop Me
By Tapiwa Gomo

We are a nation that believes in anything that comes from anyone in position of political, economic or religious power. We believe in any prophet, economist or politician who finds a microphone.

We believe elections are the road to change even when history proves its futility. We believed Mthuli Ncube would help President Emmerson Mnangagwa to turn around the economy.
The current administration has done its first full calendar year after the controversial election in 2018. There was a growing belief among Zanu PF supporters, with elections out of the way, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was going to exert his shrewd character to instil discipline in government and bring back normalcy into the economy.

Alongside this belief was that corruption was going to be rooted out the same way they deal with opposition activists. But the administration has proven that corruption is a much safer and thriving trade than opposition politics.

While the administration wants all and sundry to believe sanctions and opposition politics are the major impediments to our progress, it is corruption by those in power and their mismanagement of everything in government that has kept the country lagging behind.

The nature of corruption in Zimbabwe is more corrosive, dangerous and destructive than in other countries. In other countries, corrupt government officials steal and invest in their countries causing minimal capital flight.

But here, they steal and send the money out of the country, just like that person who steals the remaining mealie meal from the house and keeps it at a hungry neighbour’s place. This is how this country is being run.

Zimbabwe has never been poor in terms of natural resources. The same wealth that attracted colonialists in the late 1880s and helped them build a solid economic foundation handed over to a black administration in 1980 remains, if not increased given the new mineral discoveries.

The difference between the current and the colonialist administrations lies in that the former are intent on feeding their insatiable “tummies” while citizens and public institutions suffer.

As long as they can do so unhindered, their personal economies are thriving. It is about them. They believe poverty is an effective tool of oppression.

The colonialists, despite being foreign, believed in establishing systems and public institutions as vehicles to facilitate economic growth. They believed that the little money earned locally was the seed to invest into the economy in order to grow it.

They also believed that one way of keeping peace was to ensure that everyone feels they are benefitting or will one day benefit from their growing economy. This is why during the war of liberation, there were some among black people who believed the war was not necessary and destructive. While these voices were labelled traitors, it turns out that they were right. The nation was duped.

Enough of the illusion that this government will one day perform. Another major illusion in 2019 was the Nelson Chamisa factor. After he lost elections and the court case in 2018, there was an unfounded belief among his supporters that President Emmerson Mnangagwa must handed over power to Chamisa on the grounds that he won the elections.

Oh, what a huge fuss! Under what section in the Constitution would President Mnangagwa just wake up and call Chamisa to give him the national reigns?

The moderates from this stable of illusions believe that President Mnangagwa needed to accommodate Chamisa in his government.

This idea has also been promoted by Pentecostal prophets calling for a government of national unity. In their mode of thinking, it is not corruption and mismanagement that is causing the suffering in the Zimbabwe.

They believe that the economy is not performing because some spirits are unhappy that Chamisa is not in government. And once Chamisa is invited to be part of the government, all things will be stable, so they have preached.

There are unconfirmed reports that Chamisa also believes in this and that there will be no solution in sight unless he is either handed over power or given a role to play in government.
These reports state that this is why Chamisa has been dodging and avoiding political dialogue thinking that the spirits will make it worse, thereby arm-twisting the establishment to yield to his pressure.

Let’s hope for a better 2020 where logic prevails over beliefs and illusions. Corruption and mismanagement are our number one enemy and it is not sanctions or spirits. People in power are stealing and not building the country.

Let’s fix that. As long the situation does not improve, the government must expect opposition activists to remain in the streets and that can only be avoided by fixing the economy.
Equipping the security sector to quell dissent, without addressing the basics is not the solution. Our locally earned money is the foundation for building our economy and donor support can only complement that. Happy New Year!

AS the year of all manner of troubles and tribulations, 2019, draws to a close – and as always – all hope for better 2020 and beyond is abound.

NEWSDAY COMMENT

It is this hope that should carry us throughout every new year, but for the past two decades or so that hope for a brighter new year has faded with each passing interval as the country’s enduring political and socio-economic misfortunes have weighed down spirits. For example, this year in January Zimbabweans were greeted by a 150% fuel hike that led to deadly protests that claimed nearly two dozen innocent souls.

That incident effectively cursed 2019 and the southern African nation, which for months to follow saw it slide into a major recession characterised by serious shortages of food, fuel, cash, water and electricity among a host of other commodities and essentials that included freedom of expression and association.

Notwithstanding efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to shore up the socio-economic situation, things just went from bad to worse with the ruling party and government increasingly getting wary of the possibility of civil disobedience.

Fearing a possible internal revolt, the ruling party and government have been closing up all democratic space by, for instance, stifling the opposition and civic society activities after they upped the ante on authorities to act on the flagging state of affairs.

While this is probably the only solution the ruling Zanu PF and its government have to ameliorate the situation, it would be most prudent on their part not to maintain their confrontational attitude in 2020 because this has already proved to all that hostility will not save the situation. We keep reiterating that Zimbabwe does not belong to Zanu PF and its supporters alone.

This country was won through much sacrifice by every citizen, despite Zanu PF having played a leading role mobilising the masses for a common goal, which was to unseat the racist Ian Smith regime.

But 40 years after that sacrifice it is now disheartening that the ruling party wants to monopolise the freedom that we all fought for. Frankly, it is this tendency by Zanu PF to want to dictate things — even if its policies have failed each passing year — that keep destroying hope for a better future.

We, therefore, hope and pray that in 2020 we will all treat each other as brothers and sisters, as fellow country folk because this is the only way we can all be united for a common and inclusive future. As it is, the future only belongs to only those connected to Zanu PF.

But sadly all these people will not enjoy peace as long as the majority of people are not happy with their status quo. As the nation slogs into 2020, it would be foolhardy to think that the hardships that dogged the southern African nation will be blasted away by the New Year celebration fireworks.

Far from it; already parents are cracking their heads on the future of their children, given the astronomical rise in school fees.

The country is facing a catastrophic summer cropping season after the rains stayed away during the first half of the season leading to widespread crop failure for a second year running. This means 2020 — though offering new opportunities — will likely be one hell of a hard slog.

ZIMBABWE is set for a tougher year ahead if political leaders fail to find common ground and tackle the socio-economic crisis that has left the country on a cliff-edge, observers have said.

BY MOSES MATENGA

The country witnessed one of the worst Christmas holidays in memory as many endured the day without water, electricity and cash.

Observers say Zimbabwe’s only hope was for a political solution to the crisis, starting with talks between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.
Political analyst Alexander Rusero said 2020 would be a defining year for Zimbabwe and the political leaders must do the right thing for the country.

“2020 is a defining year on whether Zanu PF will sink itself and Zimbabwe with the crisis or whether it shall rise to the task and do what everyone expects it to do, reach out to the MDC Alliance and its leader Nelson Chamisa to map the way forward. All realities are pointing to serious negotiations and dialogue desperately needed to rescue Zimbabwe from the current precipice, regardless of pontification and bravado that Zanu PF protagonists otherwise display in public,” Rusero said.

Another analyst Phillan Zamchiya wrote that Mbeki may need to be broad in his push for talks and include civic society and the military.

“I hope when (former South African President Thabo) Mbeki completes his power analysis, he will find the wisdom to include in his dialogue framework civil society and representatives of the commissioned commanders of the Zimbabwe National Army, who wield immense power behind the scenes,” Zamchiya said.

“Most party hardliners across the MDC and Zanu PF will view leaders who compromise with mistrust in such a polarised polity. Not to compromise is seen as improving one’s political profile among die-hard members of the party. Contrary to this is that most of the general supporters who bear the day-to-day suffering of the Zanu PF misrule see democratic compromise as a source of strength, not as a sign of surrendering and signifying end-of-life.”

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions secretary-general Japhet Moyo last week said 2019 has been tough for workers and there were no indications that 2020 would be better.

“We are not sure if the majority of workers will be able to pay their fees come January. We have already seen shocking figures coming from schools on what is going to be the fees,” he said.

Mbeki was recently in Zimbabwe to meet all political players and other stakeholders to help break the impasse.

He promised another visit before year end to try and bring the warring parties together, but ever since his departure, Mnangagwa and Chamisa have taken turns to bring lists of conditions before dialogue could commence.

The future remains bleak for university students after their fees were raised from $800 to around $12 000, far beyond the reach of many.

Many who spoke to NewsDay yesterday said there was no option, but to drop out of college.

Mnangagwa has insisted that no dialogue will be held outside the Political Actors Dialogue platform (Polad), while Chamisa has said he will never agree to join the group.

Opposition vice-president Tendai Biti said one of the biggest fights in 2020 would be to stop Zanu PF from amending the Constitution to give more power to the President.

“One of 2020’s biggest fights will be against Zanu PF’s pernicious attempts to amend the Constitution. The creation of an imperial president should be resisted. Presidential authoritarianism and first past the post has failed Africa from Togo, Kenya, Cameroon to Zambia,” he charged.

LOCAL retail giant, OK Zimbabwe has admitted to frequently increasing its prices as a result of the fall in the value of the local currency.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

In the retailer’s recent financial results for the six months ended September 30, 2019, OK Zimbabwe chairman Herbert Nkala said the trading environment had become progressively more unstable towards the end of the period under review.

“The group’s stores remain reasonably stocked for the festive season and beyond. While price increases have been frequent because of the instability in the market, the group will continue in its efforts to deliver the best possible value to its stakeholders,” he said.

“The scarcity of foreign currency slowed down the importation of goods and this, combined with high prices of goods that were available, slowed down consumption, particularly in the second half of the reporting period. Resultantly, volume sales declined by 23% compared to the same period last year.”

Nkala said since the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar, in June, the currency had depreciated markedly and contributed significantly to price increases in the period under review.

With the Zimbabwe dollar being the sole legal tender, businesses are increasing their prices to raise enough money to buy foreign currency to import more stock.

As a result, OK Zimbabwe’s financial performance for the period was inflationary.

Nkala said the group’s revenue for the half year improved by 237,4% to close the reporting period at $1,1 billion, having increased from $330,1 million in the comparative period.

“Profit before tax of $185 million was 1 498% up on prior year’s $11,6 million, while profit after tax increased by 1 463,5% to $131,9 million from $8,4 million in prior year. Overheads growth was restricted to 229,1% which is below the revenue growth of 237,4%,” the retail outlet chair said.

“Overheads increases were attributable to, among others, fuel for generators and vehicle fleet, repairs and maintenance costs, staff costs, bank charges, contingent rentals and interest on lease liability arising from the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard 16 (IFRS 16), Leases.”

Nkala said the cost lines that increased most significantly were those corresponding directly with sales generated as well as those that have import components.

“Capital expenditure for the period was $51,5 million, up from $7,5 million for the comparative period as the group continued with its refurbishment programme,” he added.
Consumers have been struggling to buy from retailers as the devaluing Zimbabwe dollar has eroded disposable incomes and wages.

VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga is back in China for treatment just over a month after returning from the Asian country, where he underwent a life-saving operation on an undisclosed illness.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU/PRAISEMORE SITHOLE

Chiwenga returned to Zimbabwe on November 24 after a four-month-long stay in China, where he was receiving treatment over suspected food poisoning.
The VP had also spent time in South Africa and India receiving treatment for the ailment.

Mnangagwa told congregants attending a thanksgiving and prayer day in Bulawayo yesterday that the former army general, who led a coup which toppled the late Robert Mugabe in November 2017, was back in China.

“As we pray, let us remember our Vice-President, Constantino Chiwenga in prayer, who went back to China for review,” Mnangagwa said.

Chiwenga is among a number of government officials trekking to neighbouring countries or overseas to seek medical attention following the collapse of the country’s health sector.
Doctors have also been on strike since September 2 demanding better salaries and working conditions.

The government fired 448 doctors.

Dilapidated infrastructure, lack of equipment and drugs, brain drain and inhibitive costs are some of the challenges bedevilling the health sector.

Mnangagwa also urged citizens to be united because this was key to the development of the nation.

“As Zimbabweans, we should work. After man got in touch with sin in the Bible, he was told he will eat from his sweat, so I encourage Zimbabweans to work so that we can achieve our vision,” Mnangagwa told the congregants.

The event, held under the theme Counting our Blessings: Let us, through Home-Grown Unity, Affirm Work and Pray to Achieve our National Vision, was organised by the Faith for the Nation Campaign, a group of various church denominations.

Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi said solutions to fix the nation’s problems were supposed to come from within the country.

“We will resist any solutions that come from other countries, the solutions must come from this country. We will continue to talk and emphasise the issue of dialogue, but we will, however, exclude the outsiders,” Mutendi said.